Cessna 140 accident near Lancaster, New York, June 30, 1991
On June 30, 1991 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89209, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF AN ENGINE EXHAUST VALVE, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND A FORCED LANDING ON UNSUITABLE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1991 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N89209 · registry record · serial 8229
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N89209 WAS CRUISING, WHEN THE PILOT 'HEARD A POP, THEN RATTLE FROM THE ENGINE.' THE PILOT SAID, '[I] WAS GOING TO TRY TO MAKE [AN] AIRPORT...[I] THROTTLED UP...[THE ENGINE] VIBRATED AND KNOCKED TOO HARD.' THE PILOT LANDED IN A FIELD AND THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A DITCH. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A BROKEN NUMBER 3 EXHAUST VALVE. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE VALVE REVEALED THE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF PROGRESSIVE FATIGUE, NOT INSTANTANEOUS OVERLOAD.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 668 hours in all; 530 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC91LA160.